The One Who Got Away
by littlehughesy
Summary: They all want me, all of them except the one who matters. Why is fate so cruel to Sasuke? Better summary inside. AU SasuFemNaru, Post Time-Skip, No Defection, Slightly OOC Sasuke he actually has non angsty feelings in this fic Rated T for language
1. One of A Kind

The One Who Got Away

Summary: All his life, Sasuke Uchiha has been obsessed over by girls, except for the one girl that mattered. Naru Uzumaki, the class' top kunoichi, has never been one to obsess over anything, except maybe training…and ramen. Yet, Sasuke isn't the number one shinobi from the infamous Rookie Nine for nothing. He's determined to get the girl, no matter what it takes. AU SasuFemNaru, Post Time-Skip, No Defection, Slightly OOC Sasuke (he actually has non angsty feelings in this fic)

WARNING: This fic is NOT canon. Orochimaru never attacked Konoha at the chunin exams and Sasuke never defected.

Chapter 1: One of a Kind

Sweat trickled down his from his forehead, slowly making it's way toward his eyes, yet he refused to spare the time to wipe it away. He was facing Konoha's number one most unpredictable ninja, after all. He had to be ready for anything. Panting heavily, barely able to stand after the near hour of constant sparring, blood red eyes shifted through the training grounds located just outside Konoha, trying to pinpoint her chakra signature. Naru Uzumaki was no push over like the rest of her kunoichi comrades. While they had spent time shopping and giggling over boys, Naru trained, pushing her limits until she was the best kunoichi in her graduating class. Now she had her sights set on being the best overall shinobi of their graduating class, hence the current spar. Sasuke Uchiha was the number one rookie from their age group. He was strong, determined, and very focused. But Naru was just as determined.

"Today's the day, Uchiha," a sharp yet feminine voice surrounded Sasuke, who stood tensed in the middle of the open field, Sharingan blazing. "You're going down!" With that, Naru sprung from her hiding spot in the surrounding trees, heading straight for Sasuke, blue eyes shining with a determined and playful fire just below the surface. Her whiskered face was beaming as she pulled her lips into a feral grin. Oh, how Naru loved training. Her two golden pigtails trailed behind her as her speed picked up. She was definitely in her element, and it was breathtaking. Yes, Sasuke had realized a long time ago that he had feelings for his teammate that far exceeded friendship. He couldn't explain it. There was just something different about Naru, a way that she could connect with anyone – even Ice Prince Uchiha – on a personal level. _I think it started during that mission in Wave. Somehow she wormed her way past my stuck up, defensive, condescending persona and melted my heart. God that sounds so cheesy, _Sasuke mused. He hated that Naru made him feel all sappy, yet at the same time, he was grateful. It was better to feel stupid lovey-dovey emotions than nothing at all. The whiz of Naru's shuriken broke Sasuke from musings as he easily caught the weapon, smirking. (Thank you Sharingan)

Something odd struck Sasuke, however. "_She knows she could never attack me up front, especially when I'm using Sharingan_," Sasuke thought. "_She's planning something." _As if called by his internal thoughts, another Naru immediately shot forth from the ground right in front of Sasuke, sending a hard uppercut straight to his chin. He grunted as his exhausted body was thrown straight into the tree about thirty yards behind him. He slumped, still panting before trying to force himself to stand, keyword being trying. His legs gave out from underneath him, and he crumpled against the tree, finding the ground once again. _I'm out of chakra. _He let out an agitated grunt before looking up with his natural coal colored eyes at twin Narus as they beamed identical confident smiles. She laughed at his chagrined grimace, as the clone Naru popped out of existence in a puff of smoke.

"HA! Told you I'd win today, Sasuke," she exclaimed, walking casually yet sinuously toward Sasuke, "I believe that means we're tied again, 27 spars each right?" Naru flopped not-so-graciously to the ground next to her sparring partner, also drained from the extended session. She leaned back against the tree, closing her eyes and heaving a satisfied sigh.

"I thought we agreed to no ninjutsu, Naru," Sasuke said, still slightly bitter over the loss. Naru's eyes popped open, shifting immediately to Sasuke.

"I didn't use any," Naru defended sitting up to get a better view of Sasuke's face, wincing slightly as her sore muscles screamed protest. Sasuke raised an accusing eyebrow at her.

"Then that Kage Bushin was what, a magic trick?" he asked sarcastically. Naru giggled.

"Ah, but I didn't attack you with the bushin, Sasuke. I distracted you with it. Besides, you used your Sharingan. Kekkei genkai count as jutsu, too." Sasuke sighed, admitting defeat. "_You can never win an argument against a woman, especially Naru, the world's most stubborn kunoichi…" _Sasuke paused from his inner monologue, blinking "_Wow, that sounded surprisingly similar to Shikamaru. The Rookie Nine must be rubbing off on me."_

"Yeah, yeah, we're tied," Sasuke admitted. Naru's satisfied grin returned to her face, as she once again leaned her tired body against the tree.

"Damn right," she replied, as she raised her arms to rest them behind her head. Sasuke mumbled an amused "humph" and leaned against the tree, following Naru's example and catching up on some well-deserved rest. They stayed like that, in a comfortable silence for nearly a half hour. Eventually, Sasuke heard the soft mumblings of a sleeping Naru and cracked an eyelid to glance at her. She really did look beautiful in the sunlight. The sun's golden beams lit up her peaceful face and accented her shimmering golden tan skin perfectly. The light reflected off her hitai-ate, which was tied loosely around her neck. Sasuke's eyes traveled down further, examining her silky long tresses hanging lightly over her tight fishnet undershirt and light orange v-neck t-shirt, which extenuated her ample chest, where the necklace she won from Tsunade was proudly displayed. She also wore a comfortable pair black capri pants and black shinobi sandals. Her weapons holster was taped, like always, on her left leg for easy access. Inside the holster were, of course, her kunai and shuriken, but also a pair of black, fingerless gloves, which she only took out when she was getting serious. The gloves had her chakra infused into the cloth, which increased the power of her chakra-based attacks and allowed her to use Tsunade's super strength technique without the extra effort. The gloves had been a gift from Iruka-sensei, after she had passed the chunin exams with the rest of the Rookie Nine. Sasuke smiled at the memory of the way her face lit up when she received the gift. It was endearing how easy to please she was, not anything like the other kunoichi in Konoha. No, Naru's one of a kind.

A light breeze blew through, gently caressing Sasuke's and Naru's hair before twirling through the leaves scattered across the training ground. One of Naru's long locks tickled her nose. She subconsciously scrunched her face in an attempt to jostle the offending hair, but it could not be moved. Her eyelids lazily blinked a couple times before fully opening, revealing her glazed eyes, which even in their tired state, rivaled the sky in their bright blue color. She sat up, stretching her no longer sore muscles (Thank you, Kyuubi) and glanced at Sasuke who was still examining her. She blinked a few more times, yawned, and then smiled warmly at Sasuke.

"How long was I out?" Naru asked, as if it was completely normal to have a nap in the middle of the training grounds. Sasuke checked the sun's position to get an accurate estimate.

"It looks to be about two in the afternoon, so I'd say around twenty minutes," he replied casually. For Naru, it WAS normal to fall asleep after a particularly tough training session. It usually only happened when she trained with him. With the others, she could go for hours without breaking a sweat. He smirked at this and stood up, wincing a little and rubbing his slightly aching jaw while offering his other hand to Naru who was still seated on the ground. "Come on, we should get back to the village before Tsunade-sama sends a search party." Naru laughed and took his hand, accepting the help up. Sasuke winced again at her tight grip on his sore arm.

"Still a little sore, eh Sasuke?" Naru asked teasingly. Sasuke glowered at her, but the look held no real malice.

"We can't all have supernatural healing abilities," he pointed out. Naru laughed again.

"One of the few benefits of being a jinchuriki," she replied. It was much easier for Naru to talk about Kyuubi now then it had been years earlier. She had told the Rookie Nine and Team Gai about her "tenant" after the chunin exams, when Shikamaru asked about the second chakra she had used against Neji. _That guy is too damn smart for his own good. _ It had been a difficult yet unavoidable conversation, but luckily for Naru, her comrades were much more tolerant and understanding than the villagers. They knew the difference between a demon and a demon container. It had been a huge weight off Naru's shoulders once everyone she cared about knew and accepted her. She could even talk about Kyuubi casually now, like it had never caused her any strife.

Sasuke and Naru walked into Konoha in companionable silence. Naru herself was a very talkative person, but she knew Sasuke wasn't much of a talker. He never had been, but he was way better now than he had been when they were genin. Back then, Sasuke had only been obsessed with killing his brother, Itachi, but after the chunin exams, Sasuke realized that his desire for revenge was holding him back. One of these days, he would thank Naru for teaching him that.

---------**Flashback**---------

_ Gaara had gone berserk after Sasuke's Chidori plunged through his shoulder. Apparently the guy had never felt pain before. He immediately started transforming, growing exponentially more demonic by the second. _

_ "What the hell is happening Kazekage-san?" the Third yelled to his counterpart seated on the balcony. _

_ "Shukaku," the Kazekage whispered in a terrified daze. Hiruzen's eyes widened as his head snapped back to the scene below them. _

Shit.

_ "Your hate is NOTHING compared to me Uchiha!" a halfway transformed Gaara bellowed. "I kill to LIVE! I will not cease to exist!" Gaara's sand-made claw thrust forward, nearly decapitating Sasuke, who at the last second jumped way with a boost of chakra sent to his legs. He was exhausted. He could only manage two Chidoris in one fight, and he had already used one up. That was meant to be a finishing move, an assassination technique. It nearly killed his chakra reserves. He deactivated his Sharingan, not having enough chakra to maintain it. Sasuke didn't know how much longer he could last. _No! _he thought, _I cannot lose, not if I want to kill HIM. I have to be stronger, angrier, have more hatred. I HAVE TO WIN! _With that thought in mind, Sasuke charged another Chidori in his palm and shot forth, screaming a battle cry that would frighten any opponent, if they weren't half possessed by a demon. He knew it was risky to use Chidori without his Sharingan, in fact Kakashi had forbidden it, but he had no other choice. This was his last shot. _

_ Gaara, for his part, had further surrendered to the demon inside him. He was clutching his fists, not in pain, but in anticipation, a look of absolute bloodlust commanding his eyes. He licked his lips anxiously. He wanted blood; he NEEDED it. _

_ "Come Uchiha! Fulfill my purpose for living!" he screamed manically. Sasuke was almost upon him, a few more feet and--- in a flash, he was gone, reappearing directly behind Gaara due to his superior speed with his final Chidori in hand. He pushed it forward; completely oblivious to the swinging tail Gaara had grown speeding toward him. Sasuke was hit dead on, sending him flying into the wall on the opposite side of the stadium. He crumpled to the ground, defeated and unconscious. Gaara's head snapped to Sasuke's crumpled, vulnerable position, a demonic pleasured grin spreading across his face, eyes still drowned in bloodlust. _His blood is mine. _ Gaara walked leisurely toward Sasuke, wanting to drag out the addictive pleasure of the kill. He was so close, so close to satisfying Mother, to saturating his sand with the delicious red liquid. A stream of Gaara's sand slithered forward, nearly wrapping around Sasuke's limp ankle until Kakashi appeared, heaving Sasuke's body over his shoulder and body flickering away to the safety of the stands. Gaara released an enraged cry, shooting his sand claws toward the crowd in search of his stolen prey, destroying the walls and abandoned sections of bleachers. _

_ "Tenzõ, can you suppress his demonic chakra?" the Hokage turned to his Anbu guard and yelled over the terrified screams of the spectators and the sounds of stone crumbling, _

_ "I can try sir!" Tenzõ replied, making a series of seals while leaping to the stadium floor. He pushed his chakra to his hand, inscribing the symbol for 'Sit' on his palm. "Mokuton: Chakra Repress!" Tenzõ exclaimed while giant beams of wood sprung from the ground, forming a cage around Gaara. The beams glowed with Tenzõ's blue chakra, forcing Gaara's red demonic chakra out of his body and sucking it up. Gaara screamed in anguish while Tenzõ broke into a cold sweat from the sheer concentration needed to restrain the enormous amount of demonic chakra. Eventually, Gaara's body fell, completely drained of energy. Tenzõ only spared him enough chakra to survive off of. He wasn't taking any chances with this obviously unstable jinchuriki. He unceremoniously dropped to the ground, panting with his hands shaking from the adrenaline and stress. His Anbu teammates immediately appeared at his side, hoisting him to his feet and stringing his arm over one teammate's shoulder to stabilize him. He laughed emptily. _

_ "Thanks guys," he whispered, fatigued. This was the first time he had put his chakra repression skills to use. He had only been a chunin during the Kyuubi attack 12 years ago, thus the Yondaime knew he was not strong enough to suppress the nine-tailed demon and didn't allow him to try. The Anbu carried Tenzõ back to the Hokage's side. The head Sarutobi smiled approvingly at his young bodyguard. _

_ "Excellent work, Tenzõ" _

_ "Thank you, Hokage-sama." Tenzõ bowed before the Third signaled for the Anbu's attention._

_ "Take him to the infirmary. Make sure to have his chakra network examined for any possible strain."_

_ "Hai!" the Anbu replied, saluting and disappearing with Tenzõ in tow. The Hokage sighed and grimaced, staring as the medics removed both Sasuke and Gaara from the arena on gurneys. _

_ Up in the spectator's booth reserved for the exam participants, Naru stood at the edge of the balcony, frozen. Her eyes were wide with fear and concern for her teammate but also fear for her life. She'd never felt such an ominous chakra since…...Kyuubi. _He's the same as me, yet so…..different. _Out of the corner of her eye, Naru saw Temari and Kankuro, Gaara's siblings and teammates, exchange a worried glance before Temari sprinted down the steps toward the infirmary. Kankuro remained in the corner of the booth, a grimace marring his calm façade. Naru's eyes flashed to the stands where a frantic Sakura was basically clawing her way out of the stands to get to the infirmary. Kakashi, who was on the stadium grounds, accompanying the medic-nins and an unconscious Sasuke, looked up to the participants' booth. His eyes met Naru's and his gaze communicated the telepathic message, _"We need to talk."_ Naru nodded and walked past her fellow participants as calmly as possible, heading down the stairs to the infirmary. All the while her head was full of speculations about the fight she had just witnessed. _

No doubt about it, _she mused, _he's a jinchuriki, just like me. _Naru's mind conjured images of Gaara: his manipulation of sand, his chilling demonic aura, the look of absolute bloodlust in his eyes. She shuddered. _ How must his life have been, to turn out like that? We're the same, yet completely opposite. _Naru could tell that Gaara's teammates, and even his sensei, were afraid of him. He had no comrades, no friends, no family as far as she could see. _ So sad, to think he has siblings but no true family. _Naru couldn't help but wonder, was it better for her to not know anything about her family than for her to know them, see them, interact with them on a daily basis, yet never feel their love? _ Yes, _she decided_, his situation is so much more painful than mine. If I had felt that kind of pain, I think I would have turned out to be exactly like him. _Naru lifted her hand to her cheek, grazing her whiskers and catching a single tear that rolled down her face. _I found Iruka-sensei, and later Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, Sakura-chan, and all my other friends, but he had no one. While my world expanded, his stayed desolate and lonely. Damn it! The world isn't fair! _Naru clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. _If he has no one, then I'll be the first to reach out to him. I promise, Gaara, I will get through to you. _With her determination restored, Naru ran the rest of the way to the infirmary. _

_ Upon arriving there, her eyes landed on two figures laying deathly still on two twin beds, a curtain drawn between them. One figure was Sasuke, surrounded by Kakashi, Sakura, two medic-nins and a couple fan girls, who thankfully were being escorted out of the room. On the other side was Gaara, who lie there completely alone. _How fitting, _Naru scoffed in her mind. _Don't worry Gaara, that's about to change. _Sensing another chakra presence in the room, Kakashi looked up to see his other student staring at the demon boy. _

_ "Naru," he beckoned, signaling her to come closer to her team. Naru looked up with a dazed expression at the call then nodded when she realized it was Kakashi-sensei. She walked past the curtain over to Sasuke's side of the room. Kakashi put a hand on her shoulder._

_ "Naru, I want you to forfeit your match against Gaara," he said slowly, waiting for his most unpredictable student's reaction._

_ "I can't do that Kakashi-sensei," Naru replied calmly, shocking everyone. _Unpredictability strikes again. _Kakashi would have laughed if the situation weren't so serious. _

_ "Naru, I know you're determined to prove yourself, but this isn't the way to do it. Gaara's dangerous, he's a-"_

_ "I know, Kakashi-sensei," Naru cut him off. "He's like me." Kakashi winced slightly, remembering Naru's situation. Naru noticed but continued, "If anyone has a chance against him, it's me." Sakura, who had until now been quietly listening to her teammates' conversation while watching (more like swooning over) Sasuke's sleeping form, decided to butt in. _

_ "Naru, don't be stupid," she spit out, "If Sasuke-kun couldn't even beat him, what chance do you have?" Naru raised her eyebrow at Sakura before sweeping her gaze down to her rival and best friend. _

_ "Sasuke couldn't beat Gaara because he is stupid and weak," she replied calmly, not lifting her gaze from Sasuke's face. Sakura gasped incredulously while Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Naru's logic. Naru got cocky and childish sometimes, but she never undervalued a person's strength or partook in petty insults. She wouldn't call Sasuke stupid or weak unless she wanted to fire him up or to tease him, but from Naru's facial expression and tone, Kakashi could tell she was completely serious. _

_ "How dare you, Naru!" Sakura yelled. Kakashi covered his ears to block out the noise, and a medic-nin glared at her for the volume. Sakura had the decency to look sheepish before re-directing her glare at Naru and leaning across the bed to whisper harshly. "Sasuke-kun is this year's number one rookie. He could run circles around you, and you know it. He's smarter, stronger, faster, not to mention better looking," she finished her rant and huffed, practically daring Naru to disagree. Naru rolled her eyes._

_ "You're right about one thing, Sakura. He was this year's number one rookie," Sakura straightened her form, crossing her arms across her chest, and smirked like she had won. "But, a long time has passed since we graduated from the academy," Sakura's smirk faltered. "And, thanks to his obsession with revenge, he hasn't gotten any better," Naru finished, looking at her raven-haired teammate with deep disappointment. Kakashi's eyebrows skyrocketed at Naru's observations. _

_ "Naru, how do you know about Sasuke's-" _

_ "Don't patronize me, Sensei," Naru interrupted once again, turning her saddened eyes to Kakashi, "He said his ambition was 'to kill a certain someone.' We all know what happened to the Uchiha clan. It would take an idiot not to realize that Sasuke is obsessed with getting revenge against whoever killed them." Her gaze returned to Sasuke. "Hatred may give him some drive to get stronger, but he'll never reach his full potential like that, and eventually he'll drive himself crazy. I know you agree, Sensei." Kakashi could only nod dumbly. _When did Naru get so insightful? _Then, he smiled softly. _I'm sure you're proud, Minato-sensei. I know I am. _ Once again Kakashi squeezed Naru's shoulder regaining her attention. _

_ "Still, Naru, how do you suppose that you're a match for Gaara? He's still extremely dangerous." Naru smiled foxily at Kakashi before turning to draw the curtain and look at Gaara. _

_ "Because I know the secret to true strength, and I intend to teach it to him." With that, Naru stood up, spared an almost affectionate gaze to Gaara, and left the room. _

True strength, huh dobe? _a newly awakened Sasuke thought. _Tch, she's gonna get herself killed. _And a part of Sasuke's cold, buried heart clenched at the thought. _

--------- **End Flashback**---------

Turns out, she'd been right. The next round Naru beat Gaara, all the while teaching him and Sasuke that the only way to be strong was to fight for your comrades, and not for yourself. _Hatred, whether it's for one person or for everyone but yourself, will cloud your judgment and stunt your potential_, she had said. Sasuke knew she wasn't just trying to convince Gaara. It was a lesson both of them had taken to heart. Sasuke hadn't given up on his dream of one day avenging his clan, but it wasn't his only priority now. In fact, right now, Sasuke decided to work on part two of his life goals: to revive the Uchiha clan. And unknown to Naru, she had become Uchiha's primary target for said goal. After all, he needed a strong kunoichi to be the mother of his children, and Naru was the strongest. She was also the only kunoichi in the village who didn't swoon at the sight of him and whose voice didn't make Sasuke want to stab his eardrums out with a kunai. Sasuke truly cared about Naru. He would even dare to say that he loved her, but he didn't know if she felt the same way. He knew she cared for him – she cared for all her friends – but he couldn't say it was love. Not yet, anyway. As mentioned earlier, Sasuke was determined, and he was going to make Naru his wife, if it was the last thing he did (though preferably not, he still wanted to kill Itachi).

As soon as Naru and Sasuke walked through the gates, giving a brief nod to Izumo and Kotetsu who were on gate duty, they were greeted by rousing squeal of 'SASUKE-KUUUUUUUUN!' courtesy of Sasuke's fan club. Naru chuckled at the look of absolute terror that flashed in Sasuke's eyes before he set into his normal stoic, impassive mask. Naru hated it when Sasuke hid his emotions, but she could understand why he did it. Sometimes it's just easier to hide behind a mask than face your problems. She knew Sasuke would face his feelings eventually, even if she had to force him.

At the sound of Naru's chuckle, Sasuke's mask slipped momentarily as he gave Naru a look that said 'If you leave me alone with them, I will plot your slow and painful demise' Naru laughed again and shot him the 'Like you could' look before waving enthusiastically, signaling her teammate and number one Sasuke fan girl, Sakura Haruno to Sasuke's position. Sakura immediately beamed when she spotted them along with the pack of rabid fan girls, while Sasuke growled and glared at Naru for giving him away. Sakura was a cute girl with shimmering jade eyes and soft pink hair. She was dressed in her off duty clothes, which consisted of a short-sleeved red cotton dress which hung loosely just above her knees, but was snug enough to hug Sakura's barely there curves. She also wore a pair of black sensible shinobi heels, like the ones Tsunade wore. Sakura had taken a lot after Tsunade, which is to be expected since Tsunade became Sakura's teacher after the chunin exams.

After Naru's victory over Gaara, Sakura had realized how weak she was in comparison to her teammates. She had asked the Sandaime for help, and being encouraged by the promise he saw in her generation from that year's chunin exams, he sent Jiraiya out to find Tsunade. Since their generation was so talented and their will of fire burned so brightly, the Hokage believed he would finally be able to implement Tsunade's idea of a medical ninja academy.

Jiraiya had asked to take Naru along, to continue the training they had begun before the final round of the chunin exams. Thanks to Naru's determination and all around stubbornness and Tsunade's terrible gambling habits, they were able to get Tsunade back to Konoha, along with her apprentice, Shizune, and the medical academy was born. Sakura had been in the first class of the medical academy, alongside Ino and Hinata. She had been the top student of the class and quickly became Tsunade's personal apprentice. Sakura was way stronger than she had been before the exams, but she was not even close to being on par with Naru yet. Though her control was near perfect, Sakura's chakra reserves weren't large enough to use Tsunade's super strength technique for long, so she didn't have the stamina for long-term combat yet. With each training session, her reserves grew, but unfortunately Sakura had apparently decided that seducing Sasuke was more important than improving her ninja abilities as of right now. She spent little time training and instead used her time to shop and improve her appearance in hopes of being good enough for Sasuke. Little did she know that Sasuke would probably find her more attractive if she did spend more time training and becoming stronger, as he was highly attracted to powerful women (aka Naru). Said kunoichi approached her pink haired teammate for conversation.

"Hey Sakura-chan, what are you up to?"

"Nothing Naru," Sakura brushed past her, walking straight to Sasuke. Naru giggled softly, being used to this treatment from Sakura when Sasuke was around. Sasuke was also unfortunately used to this behavior from Sakura and knew exactly what was going to happen next.

"Saaasukeeeee," Sakura dragged his name out, in her best attempt at a seductive voice, "would you care to join me for a date tonight?" Sasuke rolled his eyes as the group of fan girls collectively held their breath. Naru stifled another giggle at their ridiculousness. _Really, who tried this hard to get a date from someone who obviously wasn't interested? _Sasuke sighed, annoyed.

"No Sakura," he stated slowly, hoping she would finally be able to understand he didn't want to date her, "I do not now, nor do I ever want to go on a date with you. I have absolutely no interest in you as anything other than a friend and teammate. I thought you would have understood that from the years of constant rejections, so please stop asking me out." Sakura was silent for a moment, giving Sasuke hope. Had it finally sunk in? Had she really gotten it? Then Sakura did something Sasuke hadn't anticipated. She turned on Naru.

"This is all YOUR fault!" Sakura yelled at Naru, turning sharply to her and stalking toward her like she was about to beat the ever-loving crap out of her. Naru abruptly stopped chuckling and raised her arms in front of her in surrender, a look of sudden panic on her face.

"Whoa, whoa, Sakura," she tried to calm the scorned woman while slowly backing away, "how do I have anything to do with this?" Sakura kept slowly pursuing Naru, growing angrier and angrier.

"If YOU didn't spend so much time with MY Sasuke-kun, CORRUPTING him into only caring about getting stronger, and NOT about settling down and starting a FAMILY, then he would be more accepting of my advances!" Sakura finished, a vein threatening to burst from her forehead. Naru sweat dropped at her logic.

"Um, Sakura, that makes no sense," she pointed out, immediately regretting it when she saw Sakura's eyes burning with a desire for violence. She gulped, throwing Sasuke a look pleading for help. Sasuke smirked and quirked his eyebrow at her, as if to say 'You brought this on yourself.' Naru growled, glaring slightly at him before turning once again to Sakura who had gotten way too close for comfort. Sakura screamed, throwing a chakra-infused punch straight toward Naru's head. Luckily Naru's survival instincts drove her to jump back releasing a miniscule surprised shriek as Sakura's punch shattered the ground where she had previously been standing. Sasuke held in a chuckle at the girly sound. Somehow the shriek just didn't fit with Naru's "one of the boys" persona. Naru's enhanced hearing (thanks again, Kyuubi) however, picked up on the scoff. She turned her glare up a notch.

"Shut it, Uchiha! This is YOUR fault! You need to control your fan girls!" she yelled at him, after flipping mid air and landing in a crouch about 30 feet away from Sakura. Sasuke shuddered at Naru's use of the possessive "your." He did not ask for the fan girls, and frankly he didn't want them. The fan girls immediately protested to Naru yelling at their Sasuke-kun, and started advancing. Naru heaved a sigh, slumping her shoulders and muttering something like "Just can't win", before she straightened, breaking into a sly grin directed right at Sasuke. She chucked evilly, waving and disappearing in a large gust of wind. Sasuke's eyes widened, jaw dropping slightly as Naru purposefully left him at the mercy of his fan girls. His senses tingled before he turned sharply to said rabid teenage girls who were tensed, ready to pounce. Sasuke muttered a quick "Shit" before also disappearing in a small burst of flame, leaving his frustrated and pouting fan girls piled on the ground where he had previously been.

Sasuke reappeared on a rooftop about two blocks from the fan girl pack, and since no one was around, he let out a relieved sigh. That's when he heard laughter coming from the rooftop across from him. His head snapped to it, seeing Naru rolling on the roof holding her stomach and crying from laughing so hard. Sasuke growled under his breath.

"Ahaha, you should have seen your face! Ahahahahaha!" Naru continued rolling, clutching her side harder, "Oh, I can't breathe, I can't breathe!" she wheezed, still laughing full force. To say Sasuke was annoyed was an understatement. He hopped over to Naru's rooftop and proceeded to kick her in the ribs, which was difficult considering her constant rolling.

"Ow!" she yelled, ceasing her laughter and glaring at Sasuke. "Jeez, take a joke, why don't you?"

"Naru," Sasuke growled dangerously low. Naru sighed.

"Fine, fine. Let's go to Tsunade before you have a stroke. Seriously, Sasuke that stick up your ass is gonna puncture something," she said, jumping away when Sasuke tried to kick her again. Her laughter tinkled like wind chimes as she sped off toward the Hokage tower. A tiny smile graced Sasuke's lips before he took off after her.

Okay, so there's the first chapter.

A little side note, I haven't given up on Orientation, I just needed a little break from that fic, and this idea has been begging to be written so I couldn't refuse.

I also know I kinda copped out of Gaara and Naru's battle during the flashback, but I'm not very good at writing fight scenes and I realized while writing it that that flashback was frickin LONG and I wanted to get back to the original story. If you guys really want to read it, tell me in a review and I'll attempt it. I know what I want to happen during it, I just don't know if I can write it well, you know?

Anyway, I'm rambling. If you see anything wrong or you have a question or suggestion, you know what to do. Thanks for reading everyone and reviews are appreciated! =D

~littlehughesy


	2. Competition part 1

The One Who Got Away

**WARNING: This fic is NOT canon. Orochimaru never attacked Konoha at the chunin exams and Sasuke never defected. **

**DISCLAIMER: (I forgot it in the last chapter, whoops) I do not own Naruto or any of the Naruto characters. If I did, there would be way more kick-ass girls.**

**This chapter is hereby dedicated to my first six reviewers: trsofnaruto, Legacy-Demon, Yume no Anime, dizzydani666, HollyEmpire00, and Shampooing. You guys rock :D **

**Sorry it took me so long to update, this chapter just ended up being so frickin long that I had to split it in two! Plot bunnies are swarming, my friends. Speaking of which, check out my profile. I have a poll to decide which fic I will start next. Of course I will still be updating this and Orientation but like I said, plot bunnies. Anywho, enjoy the reading Yay! :D **

**Now, ON WITH THE FIC! **

-I just love page breaks, don't you?-

Chapter 2: Competition Part 1

When Sasuke and Naru arrived at the Hokage tower, the scene was…hectic to say

the least. Jounins, chunins, genins, and Anbu were all running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Naru's head cocked curiously to the side. _This seems oddly familiar. It's almost as if….._

_Shit _

Tsunade was looking for her.

Naru cleared her throat, drawing attention to herself and Sasuke. All the ninja stopped in their tracks, turning to Naru, and heaving a collective sigh. With Naru at the tower, Tsunade would finally end her paranoid tirade. It had become common practice for Tsunade to go completely tyrannical whenever Naru happened to be the tiniest bit late, for any sort of meeting. It was a well-known fact that Tsunade was extremely protective of Naru ever since she returned to the village with Jiraiya and her "adopted sister." It was really the only reason Tsunade became Hokage in the first place.

-**Flashback**-

_ The Sandaime was beaming as he led Tsunade to the Hokage's office. He was finally getting to retire! Tsunade was about to officially become the Fifth Hokage. _Well, she doesn't know that yet, but it's going to happen! _He just had to put his brilliant plan into action. They entered the Hokage's office and Hiruzen went to sit at his desk. _

_ "Please, have a seat Tsunade," he gestured to the chair in front of his desk, and Tsunade sat down. "How's the medical academy been progressing?" Tsunade lit up. The medical academy was her 'baby' and she loved to brag about its success. _

_ "Splendidly, Sarutobi-sensei," she beamed, "The first class is doing remarkably well. They're so talented, I almost feel like I have nothing more to teach them. I bet after this term Shizune would even be able to run the place on her own." Sarutobi grinned evilly. _

BINGO!

_Tsunade caught the look and was for some reason suddenly regretting that last statement. _

_ "Well, Tsunade," the Third continued, smirking, "If that's true, then I have a proposition for you." Tsunade raised her eyebrow in question. "I want you to become the Fifth Hokage." Tsunade's face went blank. _

Uh oh, _Sarutobi thought, _and in 3 – 2 – 1…

"_WHAAAAAT!" Tsunade bellowed, practically shaking the office with the sheer power of her voice, "Absolutely not Sarutobi-sensei! I don't want to be Hokage. I never have! You should know how I feel about the Hokage seat. I wouldn't have come back to Konoha if I knew you were planning this!" The Sandaime winced at her volume but continued. _

_ "Now Tsunade, a lot of time has passed since then. I would have thought by now you've moved on with your life," he said softer, giving Tsunade a gentle fatherly look. "I know how you've felt since Dan-san and your brother, but there's a whole new generation of shinobi that need your guidance and I'm not getting any younger. I could go any day now. Do you really want the village to have to suffer the loss of their reigning Hokage again?" Tsunade scoffed._

_ "That's bull shit Sensei and you know it. You're fit as a horse if our monthly check ups are any clue. Besides, even if you want to retire, why choose me? Why not Jiraiya or Kakashi?" _

_ "Kakashi's too young, and Jiraiya doesn't want the job," Hiruzen answered simply, shrugging his shoulders._

_ "I DON'T WANT IT EITHER!" Tsunade yelled, the vein in her forehead throbbing in irritation. The Hokage grinned._

_ "Ah, but Jiraiya is out of the village all the time while you are not, now that you have the medical academy to watch over." Tsunade suddenly understood her sensei's evil smirk from before and seethed. _

_ "You just want him to go write those filthy books!" Sarutobi blushed and cleared his throat, directing his eyes anywhere but at Tsunade. _

_ "Ahem yes, well….," His eyes landed on an Intel scroll he had recently received from one of Jiraiya's toads. "Jiraiya has his spy network to keep track of. We need to know about Akatsuki's movements," he said in a hushed tone, making the atmosphere much more somber. Tsunade frowned. Jiraiya had informed her of them earlier. _

_ "So, it's true then. They're moving already?" Sarutobi shook his head._

_ "No, they aren't expected to actually make a move for two to three years or so. However, we can never be too cautious. This is partially why I want you to become Hokage." Tsunade squinted her eyes suspiciously. _

_ "How so?" _

_ "I need a fresh mind correcting the flaws in the village. I feel I've exhausted all my best ideas thus far. Plus I know that you will always have Naru's best interest at heart. That will definitely be needed when facing the council, who for the most part still blindly distrust and hate her." Tsunade stiffened at the mention of her "little sister" and the horrible hand life had dealt her. The Third sighed. "I'm begging you, Tsunade. If not for the village or for me, do it for Naru." Tsunade sighed heavily. _Damn that old man, playing on my weaknesses. He knows I'd to anything for that lovable little brat….sneaky bastard. _It appeared she had no way out of this. _

"_Fine Sensei, I'll do it." Tsunade answered chagrined. The Hokage beamed._

_ "Really?" Tsunade rolled her eyes and sighed. _

_ "Yes," she submitted, as a knock was heard on the door. _

_ "Come in," the Hokage beckoned before the door opened, revealing a 13-year-old Naru. _

_ "You wanted to see me Jii-san?" she asked affectionately to the man she saw as a grandfather. _

_ "Ah Naru," The Hokage said, throwing a smirk at Tsunade that she didn't miss, "I just wanted to tell you the good news." Tsunade's face was shocked. _He was going to-? No way, he wouldn't.

_ "What news?" Sarutobi's smirk widened._

_ "Tsunade here is going to become the Godaime."_

_"Really Baa-chan? That's great!" Naru smiled brightly before rushing to hug Tsunade, burying her head lovingly just under Tsunade's impressive chest. Tsunade "oomphed" slightly from the impact before smiling affectionately at Naru's bright blonde locks. However, she quickly shifted to glare at her former sensei whose smirk split his face, an evil glint in his eye. _

HE WOULD! That old bastard was planning to use Naru against me if I didn't accept! _Tsunade glared harder at Sarutobi who held back an evil snicker. _

Really, Tsunade, you didn't think I would come unprepared, did you? Kukukuku…..

-**End Flashback**-

Suddenly, a familiar face peeked his head out of the door to the mission office in front of Naru and Sasuke. He sighed gratefully at seeing his favorite student.

"Naru, thank Kami you're here," Iruka, carrying a stack of mission reports shouted, rushing up to his favorite student, shoving the reports into some unsuspecting chunin's arms and grabbing her hand and dragging her toward Tsunade's office. "She has been waiting for almost an hour! Where were you two?" Iruka questioned, turning to Sasuke who was walking calmly behind Naru, hands in his pockets.

"Training," he said nonchalantly.

"For four hours?" Iruka asked incredulously.

"Well, we would have gotten here sooner, but I kinda fell asleep on the training grounds afterward and then we ran into Sasuke's fan girls on the way here," Naru answered sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. Sasuke mentally shuddered at the memory.

"Nonetheless," Iruka said, still dragging Naru, "Tsunade scheduled this meeting with you a week ago. It could be extremely important! What if she has a mission for you? Or maybe she needs to check your health. How have you been feeling? Are you getting enough sleep? Sasuke, please tell me she's been eating something other than ramen." Sasuke and Naru exchanged a look before Naru chuckled lightly and Sasuke smirked at Iruka's "mother henning."

"I'm fine Iruka-sensei," Naru chuckled, patting Iruka on the shoulder, "I'm sure it's nothing important." Sasuke nodded his agreement. Iruka sighed.

"Okay, Naru," he said as they approached Tsunade's office, "I'll leave you to Tsunade. Just remember to duck," he said walking away, raising a hand in a wave behind him. Naru laughed waving back at him.

"What does he mean by duck, Naru?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow in question. Naru giggled.

"What, you've never been late to a meeting with Tsunade before?" she asked.

Sasuke simply kept his eyebrow risen, only now the look screamed, "Have you ever MET me before?" Naru laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Right, Uchiha, got it," she said poking Sasuke in the chest, "I forgot it's physically impossible for you to be tardy, lest your Uchiha pride devour your soul." Sasuke's eye twitched at her obviously mocking tone.

"Just because I have manners," Sasuke scoffed. Naru laughed indignantly as they reached Tsunade's door.

"Pleeaase," she drawled out sarcastically, her eyes glinting mischievously, "You're like, the rudest person I know!" Sasuke's eyebrow twitched slightly at the comment.

"And how is that?" he asked, unsuccessfully hiding his annoyance through gritted teeth. Naru 'tsked' him.

"Okay, how about the fact that you don't respect anyone?"

"Who do I not respect?" Naru kept listing as if she hadn't heard Sasuke's question.

"-or the fact that you refuse to respond to questions?"

"Kind of like what you're doing?" Sasuke grumbled. Naru continued ranting, still oblivious to the Uchiha's answers.

"-and NO…grunts and monosyllable answers do NOT count as responses," Sasuke resisted the urge to 'hn.'

"-OR the fact that you used to look down on everyone and insult people constantly."

"That was-"

"-like ME! You used to only call me 'dobe'. When we were first put on a team together I thought you honestly didn't know my name!"

"But you-"

"And don't even get me started on how you treated Sakura!"

"Yeah but-"

"_Seriously_, Sasuke! You were-"

Aaaaand Sasuke had had enough.

"OKAY, okay I get it, Naru. I'll admit I was kind of a-" Sasuke trailed off, struggling to find the right word.

"Prick?" Naru added helpfully. Sasuke glared at her, but Naru simply smirked in reply and raised an eyebrow tauntingly, daring him to argue with her.

"Fine," he submitted, "I was kind of a prick back when we were genin, but seriously Naru, can you blame me? I'm an Uchiha. I was basically told from birth that I was the 'crème de la crème' of Konoha, from both my family and the villagers." Naru scoffed.

"Pfft, you got that right," she mumbled, rolling her eyes in disgust. She had some issues with the villagers' prejudices.

Understandably so.

"ANYWAY," Sasuke interrupted Naru's grumbling to continue his own rant, if you could call the Uchiha's explanation a rant.

Were Uchihas even allowed to rant?

"I thought I was better than you and all the other genin by birthright, and I refused to be proven wrong after the….incident." Naru noticed Sasuke's hesitation when referencing the massacre and winced slightly. She never meant to drag up bad memories. Sasuke caught the wince and offered Naru a slight smile, reassuring her that he was okay. The memories weren't pleasant by any means, but he was recovering. "After that, I withdrew from everything, only concerning myself with becoming stronger no matter what or who I had to step on to get there," Sasuke sighed. _God, I was such an idiot. _Naru sighed as well, deciding to end this conversation before it got too heavy.

"Buuut," she inserted, "you got better after the chunin exams. You never insulted me again after the finals, and you at least tried to be nice to our friends."

"Your friends," Sasuke corrected softly.

"OUR friends," Naru emphasized. Sasuke crossed his arms defiantly and gave her an 'oh really?' look. Naru shook her head, sighing. "Face it Uchiha. The Rookie Nine, as eccentric and annoying as they can be, are your friends too." Sasuke raised a dark brow. Naru waved her hands in front of him as if to clear away that conversation for another time. "But back on topic, I always wondered why you suddenly changed after the exams. I mean, Gaara DID kick your ass pretty thoroughly. I thought you would have been all prissy after a loss…" Naru trailed off, lowering her head to the ground, contemplating. Sasuke smirked affectionately at her from above and took a step closer, invading her personal bubble. Noticing the moment of Sasuke's feet, Naru snapped her head back up to meet Sasuke's eyes seriously. His smirk remained firmly in place when she didn't step away.

"You earned my respect," he said seriously, holding Naru's eyes with his own. His hand was twitching to cup her cheek and gently stroke her whisker marks, but he figured that was a little too forward. On the outside, Sasuke forced himself to hold the persona of a perfect Uchiha; cool, calm, and confident (bordering on arrogant). However, inside he was sweating bullets. Naturally, due to the patented Uchiha stoicism, earning Sasuke's respect was quite a feat. Having him ADMIT it was on a whole other level, and to a girl? An admission of respect from an Uchiha to a woman was practically a proposal of marriage (need for a strong bloodline and all that). He knew Naru didn't know that, but still, the girl was abnormally perceptive when it came to people. He just hoped he hadn't laid it on too strong.

Naru, on her part was a little shocked by the admission. Sure, she already knew Sasuke respected her (if grudgingly so), but she hadn't expected the prideful Uchiha to actually admit it. _Though it feels kinda…...nice. _

Shetilted her head slightly to the side and smiled at him, a true, genuine calm smile, not like the shit-eating grins she threw around Konoha. Sasuke had to force down a blush at the rare sight and reluctantly resisted the urge to touch her again. They stayed like that for a few, agonizingly long seconds. Sasuke was sure Naru could see his hand twitching furiously, but if Naru noticed his sudden discomfort, she didn't address it. Instead, she turned to Tsunade's door once again with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Oh, and what Iruka-sensei meant by duck, you're about to find out," she remarked quickly, opening the door and immediately crouching to the ground. Sasuke, however, being taken by surprise, didn't duck and was unfortunately hit square on the side of the head with a stapler thrown by Tsunade from her desk. He was thrown into the wall on the opposite side of the hallway from the force of impact.

Naru, still in her crouched position, laughed maniacally. _I know you're not supposed to take pleasure in other people's pain, but THIS is just too damn FUNNY! _Tsunade, on the other hand was not very amused by Naru's tardiness.

"Gaki!" she yelled, "I told you to be here at a quarter after two! It's almost three o' clock. Where the hell were you?" After her initial rage died down, she noticed Sasuke sprawled on the floor next to her stapler and Naru holding her sides in laugher. "Sorry about that, Uchiha," she added offhandedly. Sasuke merely grunted in response as he sat up, rubbing his abused temple and grimacing. _Shit, that really HURT!_

He glared at Naru who was just starting to control her laughter.

"A little heads up would have been nice," he seethed at her. Naru shrugged.

"Iruka-sensei _told_ you to duck," she replied, "Besides," she held in another laugh, "wouldn't a heads DOWN have been more effective in this case?" Sasuke growled. Tsunade smirked at the two, secretly enjoying the torment of the boy who was trying to woo her "sister". She wasn't dumb. She could see the way Sasuke looked at her, spoke to her. Not to mention, she had heard that little conversation outside her door. She may be- older than some, but her hearing was still damn good. And unlike Naru, she had interacted with Uchiha men back in the old days, and knew what admitting respect for a woman implied. _Not that I'd ever let THAT happen. MY gaki with the Uchiha? _ _Speaking of whom-_

"Uchiha, why are you here?" she asked, "I only called Naru for this meeting." Sasuke broke his glare from Naru and regarded Tsunade while standing from his position on the floor.

"We were training together before this, and if it weren't for me bringing her, I bet Naru would still be napping at the training grounds." Tsunade frowned and snapped her attention back to Naru.

"Is that why you're late, gaki?" she snarled. Naru laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

"Partially," she said, "but it's mostly because we ran into Sasuke's fan girls on the way here." Once again, Sasuke mentally shuddered.

_Damn those fan girls._

_Damn them straight to hell. _

Tsunade sighed.

"Fine, just don't make a habit out of it Naru." _Like THAT'S gonna happen._

"Yeah, yeah," Naru replied, brushing it off. Tsunade snorted. "So why did you need to see me anyway?"

Tsunade glanced at Sasuke quickly before continuing.

"Well, actually, it's a good thing you're both here. The newly appointed Kazekage is coming to Konoha this afternoon, and seeing as you are familiar with him, I want you to be his escort around town, Naru. Sasuke, I would also ask if you would allow him to stay at the Uchiha compound, seeing as you have ample room there and the inns are all booked for this week's festival."

"Wait, the Sand has a new Kazekage?" Naru asked.

"And we know him?" Sasuke finished. Tsunade smiled.

"Yes, the previous Kazekage unfortunately passed away," Tsunade paused,

_Not THAT unfortunate, the guy was a bastard,_

"and his son, Gaara, assumed the role." Naru and Sasuke were floored.

"GAARA is the KAZEKAGE!" Naru exclaimed, "but he's so YOUNG!" Sasuke nodded his head furiously in agreement. Tsunade shrugged.

"Ever since the disappearance of the Third Kazekage and the well-known puppet master, Sasori of the Red Sand, the Sand Village hasn't been well-known for their strong shinobi, and Gaara's position as a jinchuriki made him the best candidate for the job." Naru regarded Tsunade seriously. Something about this just didn't sit right.

"But what about the villagers? They were all afraid of Gaara," she said, sadness creeping into her eyes.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Tsunade shrugged. "The Sand Village was unstable and vulnerable to attack without a Kazekage. I'm pretty sure the council there agreed and chose their strongest shinobi, regardless of the villagers' personal feelings for him." Naru looked disheartened but eventually smiled.

"It's okay," she said, "if Gaara continues on the path he started on after the chunin exams, his people will grow to love him. I'm sure of it." Both Tsunade and Sasuke softened at her hopeful optimism. Trust Naru to see the best in the worst situations.

"Anyway, do you two accept your respective requests?" Tsunade asked, though she really didn't have to. Their answers were quite obvious.

Naru beamed. "Definitely! I'd love to show Gaara around. I haven't seen him for so long."

Sasuke 'hn'ed an affirmative. He wasn't as enthusiastic about having a guy who almost killed him staying in his house, but he could cope, if only for Naru's sake.

"All right then, meet Gaara and his siblings at the front gate at four, and DON'T be late," Tsunade said, glaring straight at Naru. Naru laughed.

"Okay, okay. Take it easy, Baa-chan," she said, holding her hands in surrender. Tsunade scoffed.

"Get out of here, gaki," she commanded affectionately. Both chunins bowed, about to exit before Tsunade called Sasuke back. Naru held up at the door, but Sasuke waved her off. She smiled and gave them a two-fingered salute before taking off down the hallway. Sasuke almost smiled before turning to face Tsunade with an indifferent expression.

"Yes Hokage-sama?" he asked. Tsunade's face was suddenly deathly serious. She leaned forward in her desk, resting her chin on her laced fingers, before pinning him with a glare. Suddenly, Sasuke was for some reason very, very afraid.

"Watch yourself, Uchiha," she warned, her honey colored eyes narrowing into slits, "Naru isn't just some thing to be had. If you hurt her, you're gonna get a lot more than a stapler to the head. You got me?"

Sasuke gulped and nodded. Tsunade smirked and relaxed back into her seat, her scary aura dissipating.

"Good, now off with you. You might want to get a room ready before you go meet the Kazekage."

"Hai," Sasuke replied before swiftly leaving the office. _Perfect_, he thought, _now not only do I have to convince Naru, but also the Hokage. Fantastic. _The sarcasm dripped in his mind like primordial ooze. He sighed and headed to his house to prepare for Gaara's arrival.

-I just love page breaks, don't you?-

Outside the Hokage tower, Naru whistled as she walled down the streets of Konoha, arms folded behind her head. She smiled as she thought about seeing her friend again.

It'd been almost a full year since Naru and Gaara had seen each other after the chunin exams. When Jiraiya came back with news on Akatsuki, she had insisted on going to Suna to warn Gaara of the threat. She, along with the other recently appointed chunin, Shikamaru, Shino, and Sasuke had been sent as messengers. When they arrived in Suna, they were met by Gaara and his siblings, who had also attained chunin rank. After the conversation with Gaara and the Kazekage about Akatsuki, the chunin all spent the day together.

Naru was pleasantly surprised at Gaara's growth. He'd gone from psychotic murderer to merely socially awkward in barley over a year. She remembered the long conversation they'd shared on the village wall.

-**Flashback**-

_ "I never got to thank you, Naru Uzumaki," Gaara said, staring out at the horizon. It was just before dusk, and the pair was seated on the edge of Suna's massive wall, which separated the ninja village from the vast desert that was Wind Country. Though if one thing could be said about the desolate land, it was that its sunsets were breathtaking. Naru turned to her companion. _

_ "What for, Gaara?" Naru asked, curious. _

_ "For showing me your secret," he turned his head to Naru and attempted a small smile, "the secret to true strength." Naru smiled back affectionately. _

_ "Tell you the truth, Gaara," she responded softly, returning her gaze to the endless crimson sky in front of her, "I think, deep down, you knew it all along. You just got a little lost since there was no one to guide you." _

_ "Well then, thank you Uzumaki-san, for being my guiding light." Naru smiled._

_ "My pleasure Gaara, and please just call me Naru. I hate formalities." _

_ "Alright," Gaara said, gazing at Naru's bright blue eyes and appreciating the way they gleamed along with her golden hair, which complemented the desert sunset, "Naru." _

-**End Flashback**-

Naru and Gaara had exchanged letters back and forth since then, mostly just to keep in touch, but also to check up on each other. Danger for jinchuriki was extremely heightened by the presence of Akatsuki, and they needed to look out for each other. Naru wanted to stay connected to Gaara, especially since she was the first real bond he had made. _His guiding light, as he so elegantly put it._

Naru smiled warmly. She couldn't wait to see him again.

-I just love page breaks, don't you?-

Gaara hated traveling, especially with his siblings. It wasn't that he didn't like his siblings. In fact, they had been very supportive of him when he was changing his outlook on life. _Except_, Gaara hypothesized, _we hadn't been a family for so long that their fraternal instincts built up, and now they're flooding me with protectiveness._ He loved his siblings, really he did. He just wished they would mind their own goddamn business. Temari loved to endlessly torture him about the letters he exchanged with Naru. Kankuro well….Kankuro was just annoying. But, at least it was better than how they used to be. But back to traveling, Gaara hated traveling for long periods. The summer weather in the Fire Country was completely different from Suna's summers. The air was thick and humid, instead of the dry desert heat he was accustomed to. It also didn't help that Gaara was required to wear his LONG SLEEVED Kazekage robes, AND after three days of constant walking, his gourd could strain his shoulders ever so slightly. Gaara was strong, but DAMN, that gourd will never be comfortable to carry. Gaara sighed. Complaining, no matter how silently (he had yet to say a word to his siblings since they left), would get him nowhere. Besides, he would do anything for his village, if only to prove to them that he had changed.

Gaara really didn't really understand how a village that hated and feared him could appoint him as Kazekage, but at least in this position he would be able to show the villagers how much he'd grown. Who knows? Maybe one of these days, someone else would completely trust him, like Naru trusted him and he trusted Naru. Thinking of the blonde, Gaara smiled. It was a nearly invisible smile but a smile nonetheless. He would finally get to see her again after almost a full year of only sending letters back and forth. He wondered how much she had grown. Was she still shorter than him? How long was her hair? Did her eyes still sparkle with mischief and excitement? Is it weird to be thinking these kinds of questions? Gaara didn't know, but he did know that Naru was the only person who could pique his interest so much. Something about her just made him feel so irrational and disorientated. He didn't even have to be around her to think about her. Every time he got a letter from her or even heard her name floating around his village, his stomach clenched in a strange way. It wasn't necessarily a bad feeling, just new and uncomfortable. It was almost like the rush he used to get before killing someone, but it was lighter, happier. He didn't know the name of the feeling or even why he got it. All he knew was that it had something to do with Naru, and he wanted to find out what it was. He had tried asking Temari about it, but all she did was giggle and tell him to ask Naru. _Tch…girls._

-I just love pages breaks, don't you?-

Sasuke tore threw his guest rooms, trying to get them ready for the Kazekage and his siblings. He was hoping to finish early so he could meet Naru at the gate before they arrived. For some reason, Tsunade's speech got him all anxious, and the fact that Gaara was coming to town wasn't helping things either.

Sasuke knew, even if Gaara didn't yet, that Gaara had romantic feelings for Naru. It was obvious from the way he looked at her whenever they met. Sasuke had seen the fire ignite in him with his own two eyes.

-**Flashback**-

_Sasuke was searching high and low for his favorite blonde teammate. In his hand, he clutched a rare desert tiger lily, found only in Suna. It had large, pointed petals, which curled slightly at the tip. The petals were orange and white, Naru's favorite colors, and formed a six-pointed star around the thin green stem. He had finally decided to confess his feelings to her. _It's about time I man up and officially make her mine before anyone else tries it.

_Now if only he could find her. _

_Sasuke had been scouring the village for over an hour now and the irritation was starting to crack his impassive façade. _This is why I hate having diplomatic missions with her. When she isn't fighting, she is impossible to find. _ Sasuke, along with the other new chunin had been sent to Suna to warn Gaara about the Akatsuki. _The organization Itachi belonged to. _ Sasuke growled at the thought of his brother. _Soon, Itachi, I will avenge the clan, but I still need to get stronger. I haven't made enough bonds. I'm going to get what's most important to me first. _ And with that thought, he bounded off in search of 'what was most important.' After about twenty more minutes of searching, Sasuke headed to Suna's outer wall, where he saw Naru and Gaara sitting, chatting quietly and watching the desert sunset. His eyes fell on Naru's elegant form. He observed the way her golden hair cascaded down the back of her new chunin vest in a long ponytail. Her perfectly tanned skin glowed against the deep russet sky, as the setting sun's gentle rays highlighted her face, making her sparkling blue eyes pop in bold contrast. _ Breathtaking. _Sasuke was about to move in closer, but he heard Gaara speak in a small voice. _

_ "I never got to thank you, Naru Uzumaki," he said, not facing Naru, but whether out of embarrassment or indifference Sasuke wasn't sure. _

_ "What for, Gaara?" Naru asked, turning her curious eyes to him. _

_ "For showing me your secret," he turned his head to Naru and attempted a small smile, "the secret to true strength." Naru smiled back. Sasuke's heart clenched at the sight. _

_ "Tell you the truth, Gaara," she responded softly, facing away from him again, "I think, deep down, you knew it all along. You just got a little lost since there was no one to guide you." _

_ "Well then, thank you Uzumaki-san, for being my guiding light." Naru smiled._

_ "My pleasure Gaara, and please just call me Naru. I hate formalities." Sasuke smirked at that. She wasn't lying. She couldn't stand suffixes so she never used them and always asked others not to address her with them either. _ Except Sakura, since she tried to bash Naru's head in for 'pretending to know her so well.' I think Sakura was just mad that I wouldn't talk to her period. _Sasuke's musings were interrupted by Gaara's response. _

_ "Alright," Gaara said, "Naru." And that's when Sasuke saw it, that look in Gaara's eyes. It was like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. Sasuke's hands clenched into fists, unconsciously crushing the delicate tiger lily. _Gaara_, he inwardly spat the name. He knew he would have competition, as soon as Gaara figured out that he was in love. Unclenching his fists, a small, disappointed frown formed on his lips as he glanced at the crushed flower. The wind picked up, ruffling his raven hair and scattering the delicate orange petals upward toward the evening sky. He watched them as they flew weightlessly past his love and over the wall. _How long will it take him?

-**End Flashback**-

And now Gaara was coming here, to Konoha, his home turf, and he felt like he hadn't made any progress with Naru. Sure, they were best friends and they trained together a lot, but he had never gotten his courage back up enough to claim her officially. She just didn't seem interested in that kind of thing. And despite her perceptive personality, she was annoyingly oblivious to all his subtle attempts at flirting. The only way to get through to her was to ask straight up. That's where the whole courage thing came back into play.

When they had been in Suna, Sasuke was still on a high from getting promoted to chunin. He felt invincible, and he was more determined than ever to get stronger after learning about true strength from Naru. But after seeing the moment Gaara and Naru shared, he got scared.

He scoffed at himself. _ The great Sasuke Uchiha, scared of rejection. How pathetic I've become. _Sasuke shook his head, as if trying to rattle the thoughts from his mind. _Well, not anymore._ Sasuke turned his determine gaze toward the window._ I won't lose to Gaara again. _

And , Sasuke took off from his house, headed for Konoha's gates.

-I just love page breaks, don't you?- Naru walked toward the gates at a leisurely pace, her arms placed behind her head. Though she was excited to see her friend again, she wanted to take a relaxing walk through the village marketplace. It was always fun to take a look at all the festival decorations before they were put up, especially since she never actually went to the festivals held in Konoha.

As she entered the center of Konoha, near the busy food stands and various festival decor, she could practically feel people looking at her. Her skin tingled with a sensation of being watched, and it felt really awkward. She had long ago gotten used to the glares and scoffs sent her way by the villagers. They no longer bothered her. _My precious people accept me, and that's all I need….for now anyway. _

What confused Naru were the flat out stares (gawks, if you will) she received from people, especially the younger male population of Konoha, though she did get some jealous glowers from women every once in a while. Unbeknownst to Naru, it was because her current position was rather seductive, seeing as stretching her arms behind her head pushed out her ample chest and lifted her shirt slightly, revealing a small glimpse of her toned stomach.

_Oh well, _she thought, _to each his own, right? _

Instead, Naru turned her thoughts to a certain redhead whom she would be showing around for the next few days. _ I haven't seen him for so long. I wonder how much he's changed. _ Naru smiled then laughed. She felt like a proud parent whenever she thought about Gaara's progress. When she and Gaara were together, she felt like she had a family, that she was Gaara's family. It was a ridiculous but comforting feeling, like no matter what happened Gaara would always understand because he'd been through the same thing. Naru's features softened slightly, remembering Gaara's last words before he passed out at the chunin exams.

_We have the same eyes. _

Gaara might not have known it, but Naru knew that THAT was the moment Gaara finally understood what she had been literally beating into him for the majority of their fight. _Bonds, emotions, camaraderie. Those are the things that make us strong._

That was a lesson Naru learned the night she became a genin; the night Iruka saved her and she saved him. It was a lesson she never forgot and had promised to pass it along to all of her comrades. And Naru NEVER broke promises.

As the grand gates of Konoha came into view, Naru noticed that Gaara and his siblings had yet to arrive. Naru kept her leisurely pace, strolling up to the gate guardians, Izumo and Kotetsu. Kotetsu noticed her first and flashed her a smile, crinkling the bandage that adorned his nose.

"Naru, long time no see," he waved to her, eyes glinting with amusement. "I see Tsunade-sama didn't kill you for being late. You're lucky." Naru stared at him.

"Wait, you already knew about my little escorting mission?"

"Of course," Izumo stepped up to enter the conversation, "We were informed that the Kazekage would be coming today and that he would be handed directly into your capable hands upon arrival. Tsunade-sama's orders." Naru chuckled.

"Funny that it's MY mission, and I'm the last one to know." Izumo and Kotetsu grinned at the humor of the situation. Naru sighed and leaned against the gate, waiting for her friend and his siblings to arrive.

_I wonder if Shikamaru knows that Temari is coming. _Naru grinned cheekily at the thought of their inevitable meeting. _Shika will scoff and call her 'troublesome' and Temari will pretend to take offense before she calls him weak or lazy or something. _ Naru's cheeky grin softened into tender admiring smile and her eyelids dropped ever so slightly, as if she was watching her friends' actions right in front of her. _But then, when everyone else has looked away, dismissing their conversation as just another childish feud, they'll look at each other and you can just barely see the sparkle in both their eyes and the teeny tiny smile that will form on both of their lips. _Closing her eyes with that tender smile still on her lips,Naru shook her head slowly. _ Those two…I don't know why they keep trying to convince everyone that they're indifferent to each other. They aren't fooling anyone. _

The presence of another chakra signature shook Naru from her musings. She turned her head slightly and snorted. _Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. _

The lazy genius himself and a couple others from the Rookie Nine were approaching the gate. Shikamaru strode forward, gazing casually at the clouds above with his hands in his pockets. His expression was of someone who was perpetually bored, so no change there.

Next to Shika, Kiba rode atop a giant Akamaru, grinning ear to ear like he had won the lottery or something. Naru cocked an eyebrow. _What's got him so happy? Maybe he finally asked Hinata on a proper date. _On Nara's other side was said Hyuuga heiress_. _Hinata was blushing four different shades of red, keeping her soft white eyes trained on the ground while a tiny smile framed her lips. Her index fingers were scrunching together in that nervous habit Hinata had developed when dealing with embarrassment. _Ha, I must be getting psychic or something._

"Hey Naru!" Kiba called out, waving his left hand frantically while the other hand gripped the back of Akamaru's neck to keep his balance. Akamaru barked excitedly and panted at Naru. She smiled and turned fully to her approaching friends.

"Hey Kiba, Shika, Hinata, what brings you out here?"

"Well Hinata and I ran into Shikamaru in the market, and he said he was coming out here to meet you and the Kazekage's party, so we tagged along to tell you the good news!" Kiba finished with a blinding smile. Hinata's smile grew just a smidge more. Naru smirked.

"Yes, I'm glad you finally decided to make an honest woman of my good friend Hinata, Kiba." Naru commented nonchalantly. Hinata's eyes widened and her blush strengthened exponentially at Naru's implication of her and her boyfriend's actions. Kiba sputtered before shaking his head furiously and pointing an accusing finger at Naru.

"How do you DO that? I know for a FACT that no one knew about me and Hinata. I asked her out at the TRAINING GROUND for God sakes! The only one who saw it was Shino, and he's the LAST person I would expect to gossip!" Naru laughed at Kiba's complete obliviousness.

"Call it a woman's intuition, Kiba," she said to satisfy him, but in all reality it would take a complete idiot to miss Hinata and Kiba's feelings for each other.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, rolling his eyes, for an idiot Shika was not and he had also noticed the intimate feelings the teammates had for each other. Naru's smirk grew as her attention was drawn to the lazy ninja.

"And what brings YOU here, Shika-_kun," _Naru purred teasingly. "Come to see little old me…or perhaps you're waiting for a certain Suna party member….hmmmm?" Shikamaru scoffed.

"Tch. If you must know, Tsunade-sama appointed me as Suna's ambassador of sorts, so I have to talk politics with Kazekage-sama while you show them around. It's all troublesome if you ask me." Naru chuckled.

"Uh huh, and I bet having Temari there is just another chore, right?" Naru asked sarcastically. Shikamaru grunted.

"Exactly." Naru rolled her eyes and held back a frustrated groan. _Those two are hopeless. _Naru returned her gaze to out the gates.

"Well, regardless, the Suna party hasn't arrived yet, but they should be here any minute. And don't worry, I'm sure Gaara is just as excited to talk politics as you are," she drawled sarcastically with a hint of humor.

Trying to imagine Gaara talking about diplomacy and village issues with a bunch of old windbags made her want to die laughing. She could just see the annoyed look on his face while he willed the building to collapse just to get out of the conversation. At that thought she did laugh, loudly and all those present looked at her like she had finally lost it. This is the scene that greeted the Suna party as they finally approached the village gates.

Kankuro raised an eyebrow but said nothing before an amused grin twisted its way onto his face. _Leave it to Naru to laugh like a maniac at random moments. That girl…I swear. _

Temari barely paid her any mind as her eyes were immediately drawn to the lazy tactician next to her. Shikamaru's eyes met hers for a brief period and the scene played out just as Naru predicted, minus the childish quarrel. They would save that for when people were watching.

Gaara, on the other hand, was left completely transfixed by the sound of Naru's laughter. There was something…familiar about it. He listened more intently, until a thought struck him. _Wind chimes…it sounds like the wind chimes back home. _ The thought comforted Gaara. A barely visible smile returned to his face. Naru could make him feel at home, no matter where he was. He wanted that.

Gaara's eyes widened as he came to a shocking realization. He wanted that. He wanted _her. _

-I just love page breaks, don't you?-

Sasuke cursed his luck as he finally made it to the front gates. The Kazekage and his party were already there. Sasuke could see Shikamaru already talking to the blonde Suna kunoichi. _No surprise there_, he thought rolling his eyes. Kiba and Hinata were also there. Kiba was speaking animatedly to the other Sand sibling. The one with the purple face paint, whose name escaped Sasuke for the moment, not that he really cared. His eyes barely flickered on that group as his attention was mostly caught by the golden hair of his Naru as she was bent over, laughing manically about Kami knows what. He barely smiled as the familiar sound of wind chimes fluttered over his eardrums. Sasuke shifted his gaze to the new Kazekage himself. He hadn't changed much in appearance since the last time Sasuke had seen him. He was maybe a little taller with the same shaggy red hair the covered his 'Ai' tattoo. He was wearing the Kazekage robes (which must have been extremely uncomfortable in Konoha's humid summer weather) with his infamous sand gourd strapped to his back.

There was something different though, something Sasuke couldn't put his finger on. Perhaps it _was _the robes, I mean, putting Kage robes on anyone could give them a whole new presence, one that demanded respect and exuded authority. _But, no, _Sasuke's mind provided, _that isn't it. Maybe it's his face, do his eyes-_

Sasuke immediately stopped his thought process, because he had found his answer.

Gaara's eyes, _oh Kami, Gaara's eyes! _ They were soft, admiring even, and they were staring straight at Naru. They widened momentarily before developing a determined gleam. Sasuke's breath caught in his throat.

_He knows…._

-I just love page breaks, don't you?-

**And that's the end of the first part of the Competition chapter! XD I hoped you guys liked reading it as much as I like writing it. Once again, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. Meaning questions, suggestions, or just all around excited blabbering is welcome :D I do have a question for you all though…. I've been debating whether or not I want to have another suitor for Naru in Konoha or not. If I did, it would most likely be Neji, so I'd like some input from you guys on that. Oh, and if you didn't read my spiel at the beginning of the chapter, please visit my profile and vote on a new poll I have regarding upcoming story plots. Ok now that that's done, review if you feel the urge! :D **

**~littlehughesy**


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